International PhD Scholarship in Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK

University of Central Lancashire Funded International PhD Scholarship in Psychological Effects of Rape on Male Survivors, UK

Study Subject: Psychological Effects of Rape on Male SurvivorsEmployer: The University of Central LancashireLevel: PhD

Applications are invited for a full-time scholarship available in the School of Psychology. The scholarship is tenable for up to 3 years for a PhD (via MPhil route) [subject to satisfactory progress] and is open to international applicants only. UK/EU applicants are not eligible to apply. The scholarship will provide £15000 towards the cost of the International tuition fee over 3 years.

The aim of this PhD project is to build on previous work by investigating the psychological effects of rape on men recruited from a range of settings, such as survivor’s Internet support groups. The first phase of this project will utilise a range of qualitative and quantitative psychological measures to assess whether issues such as social support, psychological intervention, and individual differences can predict which men suffer the most detrimental psychological effects after rape. A particular aim of this phase will assess how victim self-blame hampers recovery, and factors that may influence to what extent the victim blames himself after rape. Such findings inform treatment services on how best to offer help to survivors. Later phases of this project might compare male victim responses with those of female victims; such work, somewhat surprisingly, is lacking, yet is timely and very publishable. Investigating male rape from an international perspective would also be extremely publishable.